This doesn't have anything to do with his father or mother and their position within the community. This is more reflective of a person accustomed to permissive institutions encountering one that isn't. Rules are to be followed, but if they aren't enforced then we set the example they aren't really important rules. Too many of our public and private institutions don't want to offend anyone so they don't enforce rules when they should, setting a really bad example for everyone. Then when we run into a case where rules are enforced people are surprised. This young man is old enough to quit blaming his family for his troubles.

Drug addiction is a long treacherous road. There are few places in our state that truly treat drug addiction. Often times an addict will sabotage his freedom in order to keep himself sober. Jail is mostly guaranteed sobriety. I know lots of youth like Mr. Womack that is in a perpetual cycle of thriving in jail, only to be released into a society that labels them felon. They are placed right back in society where drug dealers welcome them with open arms and mainstream society has labeled them felons with little or no value. We as a society are callous and cold that scares me much more than a youth addicted to drugs.

"We as a society are callous and cold that scares me much more than a youth addicted to drugs."

You obviously have not faced an armed drug addict. I have. It is life changing. Fortunatly, for society, my attacker and his accomplice were quickly captured. They now await trial in the county jail. Pity and trust are two things I do not feel toward an addict.

RE "This is more reflective of a person accustomed to permissive institutions encountering one that isn't."How in the world could the son of Steve Womack, grandson of Kermit Womack, have been so thoroughly exposed to "permissive institutions" that he turned to drug-dealing? Of course most children from permissive (you probably meant "liberal") families never deal drugs-- or use them, for that matter. And this was involvement in meth, not marijuana. Wow. Maybe it was actually his toxic conservative upbringing that drove him to it.

More interesting to me is the fact that Mr. Womack provided financial support to Charlie Fuqua, who endorsed the death penalty for rebellious children. Does he actially that he should put his own son to death, or is he so partisan that he feels compelled to give money to the cause of electing troglodytes, whatever stupid beliefs they espouse? (I suspect the latter. Putting his own son to death wouldn't look good for Mr. Womack's Senate campaign. The knuckle-draggers who vote for Mr. Womack have their limits, after all.)

I did not see any charges. Probably missed a meeting. If it is anyone else they get their hand slapped, if your name is Womack they want to lock you up for life. Get the facts before jumping to conclusions. The media does always print the facts.

RE "the voters spoke and Rep Womack received nearly 80% of the votes."Yet a Green candidate actually managed to get 16% of the vote. That is unprecedented in Arkansas, and is at least as attributable to opposition to Mr. Womack as to the desire to have Ms. Kennedy in office. It also is pretty remarkable that the Libertarian candidate managed to get 8% of the vote. Mr. Womack appears to be an equal-opportunity disappointment.

RE "He must be doing what the majority of the district asks of him."If the majority of the district is Walmart and other corporations, Grover Norquist and the knuckle-dragging Teabaggers, then you might be right. The voters also spoke and majorities of the popular and electoral votes reelected Obama-- with far greater margins than George W. Bush's so-called "mandate". Yet conservatives are wetting themselves expressing the desire to secede from the United States. Would you care to talk about perspective?

RE "I did not see any charges. Probably missed a meeting."You would think a person who dodged a ten-year prison sentence would be particularly careful to not miss meetings, or whatever he did or didn't do. The success of the parole system-- which puts felons of varying dangerousness out on the street while taking quite a load off the prison system-- is that it has rules that must be followed. It's a public safety thing. (This is not to say that young Mr. Womack is particularly dangerous, mixed up in meth-dealing though he was.)

RE "If it is anyone else they get their hand slapped, if your name is Womack they want to lock you up for life."Really? Young Mr. Womack was able to get an assignment to a boot camp rather than that ten-year prison sentence. This (relative) hand-slap went to a Womack instead of other eligible drug offenders who were ahead of him in line.

AlphaCat, I am conservative in everything I do. I believe in a conservative approach to natural resources, government, and personal living. Please replace conservative with right-wing. Bible thumping scripture quoteing tell you how to live your life right winger snerds are not worthy of the noble word, "conservative".

I do not believe this is a situation where the son is trying to blame the parents for his or her actions. I cannot say the parents are directly involved with which disciplinary arrangements are conducted. However, I do believe the state is heavily influenced by the parent’s positions as State Congressmen and County Court Coordinator. The media should ask Mr. Bernthal (channel 40/29 interviewee) if matrix protocols were followed in James Womack’s case in comparison to any other parolee in the same scenario, such as, is it normal to receive no jail time for absconding verses house arrest? Bernthal mentioned in the interview that an offer would be made to James Womack to enter a technical violator program for “treatment,” but he did not mention that James had been sent there twice previously. Evidently, the state’s version of treatment is not working.

RE "Please replace conservative with right-wing. Bible thumping scripture quoteing tell you how to live your life right winger snerds are not worthy of the noble word, 'conservative'."I don't entirely disagree with your underlying contention, but-- ignoring some likely contingent of signers who have different reasons for encouraging these secessions-- the people who are signing these petitions are not liberals or moderates.

I'm conservative on gas millage, food usage, electricity usage, recycling, and garbage disposal. I am liberal on healthcare and beer drinking. Don't care for the lowest priced physician or the cheapest beer. See, it depends on your point of view on the subject. A right-winger is a nut on everything.

RE "Maybe it was the toxic liberal influences in society that led to this guy's problem."Given his upbringing in an overbearing conservative family (on the paternal side, at least), I strongly doubt it. We know you're desperate; you needn't make it so obvious.

This whole discussion is sad. This is about a young man and his personal struggle with addiciton. Those of us who have perfect children, liberal or conservative, throw stones.. the rest of us should probably sit down and zip it!

It is interesting that conservatives like to blame the parents for failing to instill high values when the family is not upper class, but how they run from the notion when the family is upper class.

Maybe it's time for us all to review the research about nature vs. nurture, and personal choice vs. family influence. I'd just like to see more intelligent and balanced discussions that are not tailored along party lines. What's the chance of that happening in a state that boasts a high percentage of people with no higher education?

(personal responsibility) which was my point... but since TANK is the protector of all, I will opt out of this discussion and let the rest of you pass blame and discuss the 'politics' of the situation... I will go back to raising kids, being a foster parent, teaching school, volunteering, mentoring, tutoring... I'll leave the blaming to each of you.